As Paul Hubbert departs AEA, it faces greatest challenge in its 150-year history (Talbot column)

View full sizePaul Hubbert, longtime executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association, is seen on Dexter Avenue in Montgomery, with the Alabama Capitol in the background, in this 2010 photo. The AEA now seeks to replace Hubbert and his top assistant, Joe Reed. (AP Photo)

The upcoming edition of the Alabama School
Journal — the bi-weekly publication of the Alabama Education Association — will
carry a brief, 4-sentence notice at the bottom of Page 2, seeking
applications for a pair of positions.

If the ad itself isn't remarkable, the
jobs are. AEA, which represents about 100,000 state public school teachers and
employees, is looking to replace its longtime executive secretary, Paul
Hubbert, and his top
assistant, Joe Reed.

The jobs are
appealing because they are at the head of one of the state's premier political
organizations. Early names that have surfaced as potential candidates include
state Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville; Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt
Maddox, a former field
director for AEA; and Anita Gibson, a former AEA president who formally expressed
an interest in the job in a recent email to AEA board members.

But it's AEA
lawyer Susan Kennedy who
may be the favorite, according to Montgomery insiders. Kennedy is a former
chief counsel of the Alabama Department of Revenue, and her expertise on state
tax law is viewed as vital to an organization whose membership depends on
education revenue.

Regardless of the choice, AEA faces the greatest challenge
in its 150-year history as it transitions to new leadership.

The change comes
at a time when AEA, historically aligned with the Alabama Democratic Party, is
reeling from a 2010 election cycle that delivered control of the state
Legislature and nearly every statewide office to the GOP.

An organization
that once controlled the Statehouse halls suffered a string of defeats in this
year's legislative session, and friends of Hubbert say the battles took a toll
on his health. Hubbert also lost a trusted aide this year with the retirement
of assistant executive secretary Mary
Bruce Ogles.

Hubbert himself may be irreplaceable. Over his 40-year tenure, he built a
network of contacts and a knowledge of the Legislature that simply cannot be
transferred.

Already an Alabama legend, he ranks with U.S. Sen. Richard
Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, as
one of the state's two most powerful political players.

Even foes acknowledge
Hubbert's effectiveness as head of AEA.

"He has the personal
relationships, and he knows how to make things happen in Montgomery," said Bradley
Byrne, who battled
Hubbert in the state Senate and as a Republican candidate for governor last
year. "It will be very hard to replicate that, even for a capable
person."

Hubbert pummeled Byrne with attack ads — some of them launched
through third party groups — that ultimately sank his gubernatorial bid and
propelled Robert Bentley, a political underdog, into the Governor's
Mansion.

Byrne said that change is needed at AEA if it is going to thrive in
a new, Republican landscape. Maddox, he said, would be a good choice as a
successor.

"I think he could re-brand the organization and take it in a
new direction — making it a real voice for teachers," Byrne said. "I
think that would be a positive step for our education system."

AEA is
not a one-man show, and it will remain as one of the state's most powerful
special interest groups. But it will never be the same after Hubbert retires,
according to Alabama political experts.

"He is the key to the
power," said Steve Flowers, a state political columnist and former
legislator. "His knowledge of politics and the legislative process will
never be matched."